My husband’s niece returns tomorrow, after living for six months in a very elegant town in Italy. Life here will probably seem very parochial to her after living in the centre of a continent. After all, our nearest neighbour for a trendy holiday is four hours flight away, instead of a few hours drive.
I am sure she will experience reverse culture shock and I have been wondering what will strike her most about her erstwhile “home”. Here are the things I noticed. The Central Business District is a sea of black clothing, not just business people, young people in casuals too. The next ring out of the CBD, the young people wear cut off trousers, sandals and tee shirts (regardless of temperatures), beyond that circle, anything goes, sartorially speaking.
Drivers here generally obey the “Code”. I found that difficult for over a year, having lived in a country where you could drive at any speed on any bit of the road, left or right and get away with it. In this country, having forty dents in your car would not be seen as prestigious.
Here, conversations in public are friendly, but gesticulating, yelling and posturing aren’t common. She will probably wonder why meals don’t take long to eat and why there are only four people around the table and not 14. I am thrilled that she has had the chance to become Ms Continental Europe, and look forward to her stories.
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